Samsung Refreshes the Gear Smartwatch, Adds Tizen

Samsung today announced the Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo, two new smartwatches that run Samsung's Tizen operating system rather than Android. Where the original Gear device relied on Android 4.2.2 and used select Android-based apps, both the Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo adopt Samsung's home-grown, Linux-based platform. Samsung says that despite the OS switch, several dozen apps will be available for the Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo at launch. Some apps that Samsung has developed include CNN, Expedia, eBay, Evernote, Feedly, Path, PayPal, and The Weather Channel. Both new watches appear similar to the original watch, but the camera has been moved from the strap to the body of the watch itself. They also feature swappable wrist bands, which are offered in several colors, and are water resistant. The watches include an IR port and can act as a remote for home theater equipment. The watches now include an on-board music player so they can be used to play music without requiring a smartphone to be nearby. They also include a handful of fitness apps and sensors to assist with exercising. The Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo each include a 1.63-inch touch display with 320 x 320 pixels, 1GHz dual-core processor with 512MB of RAM and 4GB of storage, Bluetooth 4.0 Low Energy, and a 300mAh battery that's good for two or three days of use. The only difference between the two is that the Gear 2 Neo does not include a camera. The Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo will be available worldwide in April. Pricing was not announced.